


The Exam

by LadyAshlaLordBogen



Series: Estel Elrondiel [24]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, Medical Examination, Past Rape/Non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 09:15:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14305527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAshlaLordBogen/pseuds/LadyAshlaLordBogen
Summary: Elrond did not forget about the exam he promised her.





	The Exam

“Estel!”  Lord Elrond called.  It was a week after she had returned from her time in the Angle, and she had managed to avoid him for that time.  The dark-haired Elven-lord was impressed with what she had learned, none of her siblings had ever been able to avoid him for this long.  She was perfectly behaved otherwise, working with her Mirial to start work on transitioning their CG into Rivendell and attending her sessions with Elladan.  She had even been sparring with both her human colleagues and some of her elvish friends.  She was avoiding most of her siblings and her parents outside of that though.  It was obvious she was dealing with something if you knew her well, but she was able to disguise it into being extremely productive.  Mirial knew what was bothering her but would not break Estel’s confidence.  Enough was enough though, and there would be no avoiding this exam if she wanted to keep her head down and not make a scene.

The copper-haired young woman stopped when she heard him calling for her and walked towards him.  Estel was wearing her nicely polished and painted armor with her hair in a tight bun at the nape of her neck.  The armor looked much the same after her siblings got a hold of it.  The dark black still had a matte finish and the lines were clean.  The main difference between before her siblings’ and after was not visible, the suit had been entirely taken apart and rebuilt so it was more comfortable for her, and the materials were of better quality.  They may not have been able to keep her safe before, but they wanted to make sure she was safe now.

“How can I help you, my Lord.”

“Estel.”

“Sorry Atya, I’m a bit distracted.  Paperwork” she rolled her eyes “Is the bane of my existence at the moment.  I’m glad Mirial is here, she can help me with it and sign without me needing to authenticate it.”

“You owe me an exam, titta tinwë.  Don’t make that face, you know I wouldn’t have forgotten.”

“I could hope.  Where do you want me?”

“We’re going to walk together.”  Estel wrinkled her nose.  She really _didn’t_ want to have this exam.  There were a few things that had happened over the five years that she really didn’t want to think about, never mind have her family know about it.

The pair walked from where they were, near the offices that the CGs would use, through the back hallways and up the spiral staircases to Elrond’s exam room in the healing wing.  Once the door was closed, Estel started to take off her armor.  She winced slightly when her shoulder moved a certain way.  Elrond’s sharp eyes caught the motion as he washed his hands.  He didn’t comment but made a note of it.  “The twins mentioned something about an injury?  I noticed you changed your form when we sparred the other day.”

“Yes.  I took the brunt of a mistimed explosion.  It was not something we could treat well while we were in the field, but between Quinn, Hippolyte, Waleed, Tamaraa, Raashid, Hilde, Fred and me, we did the best we could.  I lost some mobility in my shoulder because of how I landed.”

“Head injuries?”

“A few minor ones.  I was lucky.  Mirial is the one who is more likely to get a head injury.  I’m generally in a support role.”

“And when you are not acting as support?”

“Then I’m playing around in the shadows.  You know I’ve worked with Intelligence before.”

As the exam continued, it became more and more obvious that Estel was hiding something.  Elrond’s eyes softened, “You never need worry if you have my love and respect, titta mel.  Whatever it is that you are hesitating to say will not change my opinion of you.”

Estel looked down and asked, “Are you certain of that?”  She sounded young.  Estel had been less confident in her place in the family ever since she was a child being teased for having round ears, both a faster and slower development than the elves, and the blue-gray eyes of the House of Elros, instead of the pure silver of the House of Elrond.  She had borne it in silence then until Maelas caught wind of it.  Maelas was not primarily a warrior, but he had dealt with more than his fair share of bullies when he was a child.  The revenge proved exactly how dangerous the scholar could be when provoked.  He was ferocious in his defense of his baby sister, and the tongue lashing that the adolescent elves had received was legendary to this day.

“No matter what, little one.”

“As you know I was captured for six months.  I was tortured, Atya.  I have days when I can barely function, and I have days where I feel fine.”

“Were you raped, Estel?”

Estel’s eyes flickered away from her father’s face in shame.  That was all the confirmation he needed.  “What are your main triggers?”  Elrond’s voice was even, professional.

“Right now?  Pitch-black rooms, someone coming up behind me, being touched unexpectedly, being caged in, the scent of alcohol.”

“Alcohol?  I can understand the other ones, but that one isn’t common.”

“The yrch that tended to be the worst always had alcohol on his breath.  The stronger the scent, the worse it was.”

“Did someone do a kit?” Referring to the kits used to treat rape victims.  They had field tests for sexually transmitted diseases and materials to help repair tears.  Estel nodded.

“Nightmares?”

“Better, now that Mirial’s here.”

“You’re sharing a bed?”

“We’ve been sharing a bed since we were 15, Atya.”

“That will help.  You have lingering issues from long-term dehydration and privation, but they will clear up with regular meals-four or five small ones a day, not three small ones a day-and I’m going to be watching you for an eating disorder.  I don’t think that you would normally be at risk, but with the amount of weight you’ve lost during one of the more important developmental stages, you need to be careful.  I shouldn’t need to tell you the warning signs?”  Elrond looked fondly at his former apprentice while he waited for an answer.

“Excessive dieting or exercise, or binge-eating and frequent vomiting.”

“I’m going to speak with Elladan about what I’ve found and have him monitor the mental health side of things-you know that’s not my strong suit.”

“Much to Andatar’s dismay, I’m sure.”

Elrond grinned inwardly at Estel’s use of Andatar instead of Daerada.  Each of his children had a preference for one or the other but would use the other language in deference to their parents.  Estel, Làstril, and Maelas were more likely to use the Quenya, having worked closely with the Fëanorians than the rest of their siblings.

“Yes, both of them can be rather strict when it comes to self-care.”

“Uncles Ambarussa told me about the Annatar Incident.  Did you _really_ get caught because you didn’t think to check if someone else was in the room?”

“To my extreme annoyance, yes.  Never mention bad self-care habits around your grandfathers.  They tend to be irritable if you don’t take care of yourself.”  Elrond grumbled.  “Now, you’re all set-do you want help with the paperwork?  Elladan and Elrohir are off-duty.”

Estel’s eyes were wistful, “I can’t Atya.  This is something I have to do by myself.  The handwriting has to be an exact match for the samples they have in the City.”

“Then I guess you have some work to do.”

Estel snorted, hugged her dad, and walked towards the office she was using in the barracks.  So much paperwork to do, so little time.


End file.
